


Flowers Can't Die In Virtual Reality

by capra, running_with_luck



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Fluff and Fluff, M/M, MMORPGs make the best dating sites, double-blind mutual pining, every flowershop mutual pining au you've read, gender play and gender fuckery, i didn't mean to lead a double life i just spawned that way, oh wait that's us, poor phone security practices, put your phone on silent if you're trying to keep secrets, who comes up with these screennames, yuzu is actually a pretty princess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-01-24 11:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21337837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capra/pseuds/capra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/running_with_luck/pseuds/running_with_luck
Summary: Yuzuru and Shoma are both employees at the same flower shop. They don't know they're also both members of the same elite raid party on their favorite MMORPG.Theyalsodon't know that they're both secretly crushing on each other. Both online and offline.So what's a soft gay flower boy to do?
Relationships: Yuzuru Hanyu/Shoma Uno
Comments: 17
Kudos: 58
Collections: capra's NaNoPostMo 2019





	1. one: white roses for beginnings

## ♡ one: white roses (for beginnings) ♡

NikuLover is a level 65 Castanic Lancer who regularly ranks second on the leaderboards of the online multiplayer game Tera. He has been around since Beta testing, which he considers a mark of pride. He is Vice Captain of the guild Heaven’s Autumal, and a tank through and through, willing to go on any raid almost on the regular. Tall, slender, platinum blond hair, washboard abs, tight leather outfits… 

Everything Shoma Uno isn’t in real life. 

In reality, Shoma is a clerk at a flower shop, Magic Moonlight. The pay is nicer than most places, and he doesn't need to do anything too strenuous. It helps pay for his gear in game, and also everything else. His coworkers are nice too, especially Yuzuru Hanyu. Tall, slender, beautiful… What could Shoma say? He has a type. But at the same time, what can he do? While he isn’t completely closeted (his brother, Itsuki, knows), he certainly isn’t planning on announcing being gay to the world either. 

Which is, incidentally, related to the only trait he had in common with his internet self: they both generally keep to themselves.

Lately, however, he’s been chatting with SwanBlossomX, a guild member who has been a part of the guild for some time and has become his go-to for raids. She's an Elin Cleric, and these days, matches him level for level as they advance. That wasn't the case when she joined the guild, at a much lower level. But that didn't last long once Shoma discovered that she was actually  _ really _ damn good and chose her as his favourite raiding partner. Shoma can count on one hand the number of times he has died under her care - out of  _ hundreds _ of raids they have run together.

Shoma doesn’t know her real name. In fact, he doesn’t know a whole lot about her - neither age nor where she lives (or if she is even really a she). But from the way she writes, she seems to be somewhere around his age. Mature, at least. He likes to think they have become pretty close friends, because he knows other things too: her favorite music, shows, spells, aesthetics, colors; that she likes dumb jokes and puns. Things like that.

As of the past few weeks, their conversations have gotten more intimate. Shoma usually doesn’t talk that much to others. He’s seen lots of players come and go through the guild, so he tries not to get attached. But Swan’s always been there, reliable and steady. Still, he is wary. She has tried a few times to know more about him, but he tries not to let anything too important slip. Like specifically where he worked, lived, his exact age… Dangerous stuff. He is, however, starting to truly trust her as a friend. Maybe even like her. A  _ lot _ . Which is weird, because he is sure he likes guys exclusively.

Today, like most days, he messages her while on his way to work.

**[i have to go soon but ill message you later. raid tonight?]**

Shoma DMs her privately, outside of the guild’s Discord server, as he walks along the street to the flower shop. He glances up and notices that Yuzuru is coming from the other direction.

“Good morning, Yuzu-kun,” he offers sleepily.

"Shoma!" Yuzu looks up from his phone quickly, startled by the sound of his name. Seeing it is only Shoma, he relaxes just as quickly and laughs, entirely at himself, as he shoves his phone in his pocket. "Good morning~ Did you not get enough sleep again?"

Yuzu reaches the door of the shop first, pulls it open, and holds it for Shoma with a smile. Their manager is already inside - there is a big shipment coming in today, and it will be all hands on deck to safely receive the huge quantity of very delicate blossoms they're expecting today. The cool of January has given way to an early-February cold snap of bitter degree, and Yuzu's boss has been on edge all week. 

This shipment, the last pre-Valentines' Day shipment they will receive, contains all the most expensive and highest quality long stems. Plus they've ordered a small quantity of ultra-deluxe rare colors, which are also expected today. So of course, it is just their luck that today's forecast included the coldest temperatures expected all month, and in fact colder temperatures than had been seen through most of the last week of January.

Refrigeration below ideal temperature drastically shortens the life of cut flowers, just as surely as storage outside of refrigeration does. And this shipment, in its refrigerated truck, has traveled through some of those coldest temperatures, and surely has lost heat by doing so. What effect would that have had on the flowers inside?

Yuzu is certain they will be able to handle it, despite the pressure. But it will still be a high-pressure day, with tension at max. Yuzu frowns, and leans in to whisper in Shoma's ear as he holds the door for him.

"Shall I run out for coffees? I don't want you to get in trouble for yawning today. She is going to be on edge all day, I'm sure.”  
  
As floaty as ever, Yuzuru barely looks like he touches the ground. _Don't stare,_ _Shoma_. 

It is always nice to work a shift with Yuzuru. They make a good team. Yuzuru is charming with the customers, a natural salesman. He probably makes half - no, heck,  _ most _ \- of the sales here.

Shoma nods, a bit embarrassed to admit as to why, exactly, he did not sleep enough. Gaming never sounded like a valid excuse to those who did not game. He thinks it would be a bit like asking a fan why they would watch a sport if their favorite person is not on the screen... probably.

"I'll pay for your coffee if you do," Shoma offers with a relieved smile, his words ever so slurred by his exhaustion. He had barely made it out of the house on time today as it is. 

"I just don't know how you do it. You're always so chipper in the morning."

"Oh you don't have to!" Yuzu trills, delighted, as he takes Shoma's wallet from him, lifting out the bills he'll need. "Same as always? I'll be back really fast, don't let her fuss about it. I'll be back before open."

Yuzu pats Shoma's shoulder and darts back the way he came. Their favorite coffee pace is a local shop, a bit further away than the nearest Starbucks, so Yuzu walks briskly, knowing he'll need to move more slowly on the way back with his hands full of heavy cups. He's a natural morning person, and Shoma definitely isn't. Though he likes to tease him about it, Yuzu actually tries to be compassionate. After all, Shoma can't help being a night owl any more than Yuzu chose to be an early bird. It's just how they're wired. So he knows how important the coffee he's bringing back will be for morale. And Shoma's wonderful about showing his appreciation, which is why Yuzu offers to fetch coffee for the shop so often on mornings that Shoma's scheduled with him. It's nice to be appreciated.

While he walks, Yuzu pulls out his phone and reopens Discord. He's got a bunch of unread updates in the servers he follows, but he marks them all read without looking and taps back into his DMs, where the unread messages he actually  _ cares _ about are.

As usual, he's got a message from Niku waiting for him. He smiles, feeling a familiar curl of warmth in his chest, and opens it. 

Niku is always patient about waiting for Yuzu to message him back, never pressuring him or guilt tripping him on days that he's too tired from work to raid. Because of that, though, Yuzu doesn't  _ like _ to keep him waiting. And Yuzu's felt more and more antsy of late to answer Niku quickly. Though he's trying not to let that show through in his messages.

** _[yea I'd love that!! i might be late though, wooooork is gonna be craaaaaaaazy today. (｡´-д-) ]_ **

** _[i'll message you at lunch. if you haven't heard from me in six hours please send a REVIVE~♡_ **

** _ _(꒪⌓꒪」∠)_ ]_ **

* * *

The morning is a chain of being barked at and running around - Shoma barely has time to check to see if Swan has read his message, let alone read any reply that might be there waiting for him. The boss sure is anxious. While it outwardly seems to roll off his back as water does a duck, Shoma is still swept away by the stress and rushing around before they open for business proper. He even has to specifically ask for time to stop and get his uniform on before the boss even notices he hasn't yet. Yep, it's going to be that kind of day. 

It is when he is finally putting his apron on in the break room, ready to get back into work, that he see's Swan's answer and smiles to himself. Cute. Very cute. He taps out his answer quickly.

**[if i could tank your work for you, i would. be safe out there in the real world. i hear it's terrible. ◝( ′ㅂ`)و ̑̑ ]**

A shout from the other room pulls Shoma out of his phone screen. He sets his phone down, forgetting to lock it, and hurries to help out. Not that he is very protective of his phone's information. He even has the timer shut off because of all the game grinding he does. So his messages are open and available for anyone to read on the break room table.

* * * 

It's gonna be a no-breaks kind of day, Yuzu realizes. He's not the type to easily tire - not with this kind of work, at least - and so his adrenaline carries him through the first couple hours of the day without any trouble. But three hours in, he's starting to flag a bit, so he scurries back to the break room to quickly suck down a packet of energy juice. He glances at his phone, swipes away a few unimportant notifications, and opens Niku's message. 

** _[thank you~~ (๑•́ ∀ •̀๑) it's really not so bad! I don't dislike my job! it's just a really really long day today |(*′口`) ]_ **

** _[I'll be ok! ... but it *would* be nice to have you watching my back (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧♡ ]_ **

Yuzu tucks his phone back into his locker and finishes his juice, daydreaming about working back to back with Niku to get all the customers their flowers in record time. He doesn't know what Niku looks like, so he imagines his avatar, which looks kind of silly in the middle of the flower shop in Yuzu's imagination, but it's alright. It still makes him smile to think about. 

As he leaves the break room, he hears a dim ding. It's not his phone - his notification is set to a custom, trilling kind of bell noise - so he hurries away, mind already back on his work.


	2. two: heather for hesitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuzu's rarely felt this odd combination of terror and awe before. The feeling that what he's looking at is both very dangerous and very beautiful. 
> 
> He most recently felt it while raiding the final dungeon of a quest that he and Niku completed on their own, just to see if they could. The boss was a massive dragon, bone and ice bedecked in golden jewelry cuffs and delicate, sparkling golden chains. The chains seemed to mock the idea that Niku and he could take her down, much less tame her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this still counts as part of my nanopostmo because i draft-posted and saved this chapter before the end of the 30 days. that's how this works, right?

## ♡ two: heather (for hesitation) ♡

Customer service is exhausting. Shoma is never sure how Yuzuru does it. Smiling and thanking and asking and taking critiques - Normally, Shoma stays to the back of the shop, keeping to himself, keeping his hands busy with flower arrangements, the register, restocking from the back, and actually tending to flowers. With all the hustle and bustle today, Shoma actually had to talk to customers. 

Swan would be better suited for this. Their guildmates and mutual friends love her. She always manages to get a party together and have friendly conversations. When this is all over, Shoma can have a relaxing meet up and raid with her, and thinking about that helps him keep going.

When they finally reach the changing of the guard (the next shift), Shoma hangs out in the break room for a few minutes after clocking out, checking his phone, not entirely wanting to move. He sees Swan's messages, and ignores his other notifications, lying to himself that he'll read them eventually. He answers her happily.

**[how was your job today?]**

**[did you manage to make it out alive?]**

Shoma hears a trilling bell noise twice from one of the lockers. Huh... What interesting timing. Maybe he's too tired, and is just drawing conclusions. There's no way. He would've noticed someone else who plays the same game as him.

He boots up the game on his phone, just to sign in before he makes the journey home. His phone can't last much longer on this charge, but he likes to check in.

Yuzu comes into the breakroom slowly, stretching his arms over his head til his back cracks. "We made it," he sighs, flopping into a chair at the table across from Shoma. "I can't believe it! I thought we were goners for a while there."

Shoma is in the middle of tapping through daily quest dialogue when Yuzuru steps in, making Shoma look up. He smiles brightly, despite his exhaustion. It's the end of the day and they can go home now, so his guard is down for now. He's ready to go home and just pass out in his bed with his phone and (potentially) a raid or two with Swan.

Yuzu's always been impressed by the focus and intensity that Shoma brings to his work. Sure, maybe 'intense' isn't the best disposition for working at a flower shop, but no matter what kind of shop you have, a retail shop requires lots of grunt work - moving things, stacking things, counting and sorting and reorganizing things. Shoma excels at all of that, in a way that Yuzu just can't match up to. Yuzu much prefers staying out front with the customers, talking to them and finding out what they need. But if Shoma and the others - well, mostly Shoma - weren't so much better at the detail work than Yuzu is, he'd have no flowers to give to the customers once he knows what they need. Every part of the team depends on another part, Yuzu reflects. And they all come through for each other. That's what makes them a good team.

Thinking about teamwork has Yuzu thinking about his guild. He's not sure he's got the energy to raid tonight - it wouldn't do to have the healer passing out halfway through a dungeon - but he definitely does want to sign in once he gets home. Just, if nothing else, to talk to Niku for a while. Talking with Niku always manages to soothe Yuzu's nerves after a big day like today.

He slumps onto the table, head pillowed on his arms, and smiles dopily across at Shoma. "Thank you for today. You worked so hard!"

"You too. Thought that lady earlier would never leave you alone. You're incredible. I don't know how you do it." And Shoma means it. Yuzuru is incredible to work with. It wouldn't surprise Shoma to see Yuzuru in the spotlight somewhere someday.

"Oh, she was just nervous," Yuzu says, waving his hand without picking his head up. "She's  _ proposing _ tonight! So I tried to reassure her. I'm sure she'll do great."

"If you helped her, I'm sure she will be fine," Shoma hums thoughtfully in response, not really up for further conversation about work, and not wanting to pry too far into Yuzuru's personal life. Shoma hadn't realized that had been the case with the customer. He does hope that her proposal goes well, even if he doesn't know her. He just wished people would keep a leveler tone when trying to get what they need. 

Shoma sets his phone down to stand up and grab the rest of his things from his locker, leaving the dialogue box untapped.

"Got any plans later?" Shoma asks Yuzuru in polite conversation, trying not to yawn too loudly.

Yuzu watches Shoma pull things out of his locker and pile them into his bag. He thinks he should probably get up and do that too, but also, he's  _ so _ tired. Maybe he'll just sleep here for a bit. He hums softly, a tune that's stuck in his head for some reason. 

"Tonight?" Yuzu sees Shoma's yawn and it inspires one of his own, a little thing that squeaks at the end. "I'm so tired! I think all I'll manage to do is email my friend and pass out."

He'll be PMing Niku, not emailing him, but Yuzu figures the simplification just makes the conversation easier. After all, if Yuzu says too much, then Shoma might want to know what app or forum Yuzu was on, and that could get awkward - not because Yuzu's ashamed of gaming, but because he can't let any clues slip. Even the slightest one might someday reveal what his screen name is, and then someone could find his avatar, and then it'd be all over. But he's always extremely, obsessively careful, and so that'll never happen. He goes back to humming the tune. It makes him feel peppy, less tired somehow. 

_ Wait. _

Yuzu realizes why he's been humming - it's because, very very faintly, he can  _ hear _ the tune in question. And he knows it by heart, since it's one of the background music tracks for menus in the game. In his game, the one he plays. But his phone is definitely not open, and he's definitely not doing his quests at the moment.

His gaze flicks over to Shoma's phone. Normally he'd never ever look at someone else's phone screen, but when Shoma put it down, maybe he knocked the volume button? Maybe that's why the whisper of sound has drawn Yuzu's attention right now. And though he knows he shouldn't look, shouldn't be nosy, he  _ has _ to know. So he looks.

It's at a bad angle, but even still, even with just a quick glance - it's enough. Yuzu knows those text boxes. He  _ knows _ that UI. It's the game. 

_ Their  _ game, apparently. 

Not that Shoma should ever find that out! Because, again, Yuzu doesn't want anyone to ever know who's really behind SwanBlossomX. 

So he has no idea, other than temporary insanity, that he opens his mouth and says:

"Or I might play a game for a little while, if I don't fall asleep right away."

What's probably strangest about that statement to Shoma is that he thought Yuzuru would go out and party to re-energize - or have a flock of followers to hang with, maybe - instead of just staying in for the night and emailing a friend. Yuzuru is just so... brilliant. Flowers grow because of the sun, so why wouldn't beautiful people spring up around Yuzuru in a similar manner?

Having heard the music a million times over, Shoma doesn't realize that his brain is not, in fact, looping the menu music endlessly like he has had happen many times before, even while working. It's only when he reaches for his phone again and can hear the music's volume increase that he realizes his sound is on. Had... Yuzuru been humming along? Man, he must really be tired if he's hearing things like that.

"Ah, sorry." Shoma flicks the sound back off and and debates on locking the screen. He finishes tapping closed the dialogue box anyway. "I didn't know you play games?" Shoma asks as he pulls his eyes away from the screen, his eyes suddenly lighting up with a new vigor not likely seen by Yuzuru very often. A gaming friend? Is that even possible? Has his curse of not having many gaming friends finally lifting?

"What kind of games do you play? Fps's? Rpgs?" He holds up his phone briefly as an example. "I stick to mobile mmos mostly, but I have a console at home."

Yuzu's rarely felt this odd combination of terror and awe before. The feeling that what he's looking at is both very dangerous and very beautiful. 

He most recently felt it while raiding the final dungeon of a quest that he and Niku completed on their own, just to see if they could. The boss was a massive dragon, bone and ice bedecked in golden jewelry cuffs and delicate, sparkling golden chains. The chains seemed to mock the idea that Niku and he could take her down, much less tame her. 

He feels something similar now, confronted with the beautiful but extremely dangerous enthusiasm with which Shoma is showing off his game. Yuzu nearly bites his tongue to keep from blurting his immediate, honest answer, which would be that he knows that menu and that game better than the backs of both of his hands. 

"Uhhm," Yuzu says intelligently. "I, um, I don't play fps. I have a computer at home."

Shoma frowns. Ah. Maybe he came on a bit too strong. It's certain Yuzu looks thrown for a loop at Shoma's obvious excitement. Carefully, Shoma tries to back down a bit.

"So, you game on PC? Nice. That's more my brother's thing, but I can see the appeal." Shoma refrains from asking for a friend code on Steam. Maybe Yuzuru is a casual gamer. Word games or Match 3s. Or Fortnite, ugh. No, wait, he said he didn't play shooters. But still, Shoma desperately wants someone to chat with in reality who likes gaming as much as he does, aside from his brother. And if they happen to go on a date-like adventure, what's wrong with that?

"Maybe you could come over some time? I got, uh, Mario Cart." Everyone likes Mario Cart, right? "...Or some recommendations on Steam. Uh, only if you want them, though." Shoma runs a hand through his hair, holding it briefly in a ponytail.  _ What are you doing? Scaring off your coworker? Your very handsome and clearly not interested in you coworker? _ Shoma realizes he's not super well versed in the 'flirting' department.

"The game on my phone, it's called Tera. You should check it out. It's beautiful, free and easy to understand. You can play on PC or mobile. If you ever want to play, I can help you level up, okay?" Wait, how could Yuzuru start the game without his information? 

"Hold on." He grabs the near by post-it pad and pen meant for when they need to answer the phone in the break room. He peals off the last scrawled notes, something about roses which had already been dealt with, and writes his username, 'NikuLover', written so neatly it barely looks like his normal handwriting, and under it are the numbers for his discord username.

"Here." Shoma holds out the post-it to Yuzuru as he grabs his bag and shrugs it onto his shoulder. "This is my username. On discord, Steam, and in the game. We should play together some time."    
  
Or, more likely, never, Shoma realizes. This is basically Shoma's equivalent of giving his phone number to a potential date. At least he tried, and that's better than nothing at all. This way, it's left in Yuzu's court. If he never brings up games again, or never sends him a friend request, Shoma won't be offended.

Yuzu stares at the post-it like it's a snake that's going to bite him. He feels like his heart is pounding so loud that Shoma  _ must _ be able to hear it - surely he can? - and his mouth has gone completely dry. He can't even focus enough to read the note, but the meaning of it is crystal clear, and it's rattling around in his head. He has to swallow twice to even get his tongue loose enough to stammer.

"Oh. Uh. Oh, I'm." Yuzu licks his lips, looks up from the post-it to Shoma's face. He's a little flushed on one cheek. It's that rosy bloom that comes up if he's been working hard or if he's embarrassed, and Yuzu realizes that Shoma's nervous.

_ No way. There's no way this is happening to me. _

In the back of his head Yuzu replays the conversation up to this point, while with only barely shaking fingers he takes the post-it. Once it's in his hands, he holds it close, and somehow, somehow, summons up a big smile for Shoma. Because - it all adds up. This  _ is _ happening to him.

_ He's hitting on me? _

_ He's hitting on me. _

_ Oh my god. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i'm so glad i don't work in retail anymore.
> 
>   
<strike>did i make an oblique (heavily modified) sindragosa reference just for fun? yes, yes i did</strike>  

> 
> thank you for reading.


	3. three: blackthorn (for obstacles)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuzu opens his phone's memo app and pulls the post-it note out of his pocket, flattening out the wrinkles that he'd crumpled into it in his startled excitement. He reads the post-it.

## ♡ three: blackthorn (for obstacles) ♡

Time stretches forever as Shoma waits for Yuzuru to take the post-it from him. Will he? Won't he? Has he erred so terribly that he can never work at this flower shop again?    
  
Shoma's relief as Yuzu’s fingers close around the little slip of paper manifests as a pleased sigh, as he lets out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. There's a rosiness to Yuzu's cheeks now. He's  _ blushing. _ Shoma feels like he's leveled up his flirting skill.   
  
"I'll-- I'll make an account," Yuzu says, and swallows around the lump in his throat. He's pretty sure his blush is getting darker than Shoma’s. He's so lightheaded that he's honestly surprised he's still standing. "Thank you for inviting me."

"I think we both have tomorrow off,” Shoma says, “So... maybe we could meet up at the coffee shop? If that's too soon, though, we can plan for something else on Discord."

"Co-coffee would be nice," Yuzu says, dismayed but not surprised that he's stammering. This has never happened to him before! "I'll message you the time?"

  
“That sounds great,” Shoma agrees. He smiles back brightly, visibly excited. This is more rewarding than that time he and Swan took on a dungeon recommended for five players and came out the other side relatively unscathed.

_ Swan... _

Shit. Will she be mad that he had tried to ask a guy out on a videogame date, or worse, invited him to play their game? Well, they aren't technically dating, and another guild member always helps boost the ranks. They could afford a newbie player, right? And maybe Yuzu and Swan could become friends!

Compulsively, Shoma checks his phone's lock screen. He has a notification of a text from Itsuki. No messages from Swan.

Yuzu tucks the post-it into his pocket and bows awkwardly at Shoma. "Thank you for working hard today, um, again," he says, falling back onto the tenets of basic social politeness to get him through the rest of the conversation as they say their goodbyes for the day.

Once Shoma's on his way home, and Yuzu's alone in the break room, he sinks down into a chair, surprised to find he's a little shaky on his feet. He's aware he  _ could _ be misreading all of this - Shoma might really only mean any of this as a friend, and Yuzu could be completely misunderstanding his invitation. If he is, he figures he'll find out at their coffee date tomorrow. Oh, god, he has a coffee date!

But the coffee date is only half of his concerns right now. If he's going to play Tera with Shoma, he'll have to make a new account; the odds that Shoma's at a level that he could keep up with Swan, Niku, and the rest of their guild is vanishingly slim. Besides, Yuzu needs a new account anyway, with a new,  _ male _ , avatar, to play with Shoma-- because he knows who Yuzu is in person.

The only reason Yuzu is brave enough to play as a woman on his Swan account is because nobody actually knows that it's him. Sure, plenty of guys play with female avatars because they want to look at the pretty woman while they game, but Yuzu's not doing it for that reason, and he knows he could never convince anyone that he was. His reason is very different, and very much not something he's comfortable sharing with the internet at large.

Shoma, however, knows Yuzu, and he - clearly - isn't put off by Yuzu being, well, gay as hell. He's never come  _ out  _ to Shoma, but a lot of times you don't really have to  _ say _ it for it to be obvious, and Yuzu knows he's been pretty obvious to Shoma. So if he's going to play games with Shoma, playing as a female avatar wouldn't make any sense. Shoma already knows Yuzu's gay, but it's safe for him to know that. Yuzu already knows he can trust him with the truth.

When Yuzu made his Swan account, he had no idea who he'd meet in Tera, and what friendships he'd build. He  _ did  _ hope he'd meet someone he could come to like, and to be flirtatious with. So he planned ahead, rather than getting himself stuck in a painful situation down the line. As Swan, a woman with a female avatar, Yuzu doesn't have to worry about accidentally flirting with someone and drawing negative attention for it. And now that he's found someone he  _ wants _ to flirt with, intentionally, he's even more glad that he started out with the avatar that he did. As Swan, he's someone that Niku can like, and can flirt back at. It's based on a lie, but it still feels so good. And Niku will never have to find out the truth, so nobody is going to get hurt.

"Okay, I guess I'll be playing a double life," Yuzu says to the empty break room, shaking himself out of his thoughts. First order of business, make a new account and friend Shoma on it. Next, figure out what to wear to a coffee date. Third, tell Niku he won't be able to raid tonight, because he's too tired.

He opens his phone's memo app, because information recorded there won't get lost like a post-it note might, and pulls the post-it note out of his pocket, flattening out the wrinkles that he'd crumpled into it in his startled excitement. He reads the post-it.

**NikuLover**

Nope. Nope. He  _ has  _ to have misread that. Yuzu blinks his eyes firmly a few times, wetting his contacts, and shakes his head to clear it.

_ Stop thinking about whether you'll tell Niku about your date with Shoma, _ he tells himself.  _ You're seeing things. _

_ Okay. Read it again. _

**NikuLover**

Yuzu traces his thumb over the lines on the paper, following the straight lines and curves of each letter, feeling the contours that the ball of Shoma's pen pressed into the paper.

"...Fuck."

* * *

**[how was your job today?]**

**[did you manage to make it out alive?]**

Yuzu stares and stares at Niku's -  _ Shoma's  _ \- messages. The conversation that used to come so easily, that used to make him feel so giddy and bubbly and flirty, now sits like a stone weight around his neck.

Shoma is Niku. Yuzu's been flirting with, falling for, Niku -  _ Shoma - _ this whole time. Yuzu's been working with Shoma, falling for him a little bit at a time in person, too. His hard work is the same, in the shop or in the game. His sense of humor, his clever wit, comes out more online, in text, than it does in person. The differences and similarities add up in towering piles in his head, overwhelming him. Yuzu feels like he's seen something illicit, something that invades Shoma's privacy. He knows both sides of Shoma now, and he knows they're both the same man. But Shoma never consented to let Yuzu see him that way.

Meanwhile, Shoma asked Yuzu out on a coffee date, and Shoma -  _ Niku _ \- flirts with  _ Swan _ online. Swan and Yuzu aren't the same person. But also they are. Shoma doesn't know.  _ Niku  _ doesn't know. Niku is Shoma. 

Yuzu's head is swimming.

He finally manages to message 'Niku' back at eleven that night. And honestly, he only manages to do it because he knows how much it worries Niku when Swan doesn't show up when she's promised to do so. It's only polite to update him. But it takes him hours to figure out what to say, and even though he tries to sound normal, he knows that Niku will notice the difference in his tone.

** _>[I survived]_ **

** _>[Don't worry, I'm okay]_ **

** _>[just tired.]_ **

** _>[sleep well.]_ **

* * *

Shoma's walk home from work had far more bounce in it than he had expected from a super-slammed day at the flower shop. He'd done it. He'd finally asked a guy out on a date. And it was Yuzuru! The man was gorgeous and if he wasn't gay, he was at least somewhere on the spectrum with how he always has flawless skin, and perfect hair, and the best smile. Okay, yeah, he can be a little clumsy, and perhaps a little flighty, but he's just so genuinely kind. It's hard not to fall for that kind of guy and Shoma's known him for a while now, so this isn't completely out of nowhere, right? And right now, it's just them being friends. If Yuzuru doesn't want it to be a date, it doesn't have to be... But Shoma will let himself think of it as a date until then.

Itsuki makes a note of Shoma’s good mood when he gets home, teasing him for it. Eventually, Shoma has to own up to the fact that he is going out with a coworker for coffee tomorrow. Itsuki doesn't have to guess which one, having heard Shoma talk about Yuzuru before, and is proud of his older brother finally finding someone in real life to date. But even that doesn’t dim Shoma’s good mood. No amount of brotherly teasing could stop Shoma from being pleased at his victory.

His good mood is tapered some when he doesn't hear from Swan that evening. He does send her a little message, saying 

**>[revive!]**

after a few hours, but that doesn't garner a response either. Has something happened...? People disappearing off the internet is tragic, but isn't unusual. No. No, he’s overthinking it. Maybe she just fell asleep. That's happened before.

Logged in late at night, Shoma has lowkey hopes he'll just see Swan in game, but she never shows. And Yuzuru doesn't message him on Discord either. 

Not long before midnight, Shoma's phone finally buzzes with a series of messages from Swan.  ** _[I survived.] [Don't worry. I'm okay.] [just tired.] [sleep well.]_ **

Odd. Usually she has at least one emoji thrown in there. Maybe she really isn't feeling well. An anxious demon pulls at his stomach, suggesting that maybe he had pissed her off somehow. Not likely, he reasons with himself. He's seen Swan angry at least once at an ex-guild member who started trouble. He’d know if she was pissed.

**[rest well.]**

Here, now, he debates with himself. Should he tell her? They're friends, but not dating. Not officially. They’ve flirted here and there, maybe, but nothing too serious yet. The L word definitely hasn't been thrown around. Maybe she'd be happy for him, if he told her?

**[btw i wont be able to be online tomorrow. i have to go out for a while. but message me if you want to.]**

**[i'm here to talk whenever.]**

Satisfied, he plugs his phone in to charge and goes to sleep at an hour he considers "early," thinking about the message he'll get from Yuzuru in the morning about a meet up time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a perfect plan, Yuzu. Just keep lying. This will surely not go poorly for you.
> 
> Thank you for reading~


End file.
